Definition
A sten score indicates an individual's approximate position (as a range of values) with respect to the population of values and, therefore, to other people in that population. The individual sten scores are defined by reference to a standard normal distribution. Unlike stanine scores, which have a midpoint of five, sten scores have no midpoint (the midpoint is the value 5.5). Like stanines, individual sten scores are demarcated by half standard deviations. Thus, a sten score of 5 includes all standard scores from -.5 to zero and is centered at -0.25 and a sten score of 4 includes all standard scores from -1.0 to -0.5 and is centered at -0.75. A sten score of 1 includes all standard scores below -2.0. Sten scores of 6-10 "mirror" scores 5-1. The table below shows the standard scores that define stens and the percent of individuals drawn from a normal distribution that would receive sten score.
| Z-scores | < -2.0 | -2 to -1.5 | -1.5 to -1.0 | -1.0 to -.5 | -.5 to 0 | 0 to +.5 | +.5 to +1.0 | +1.0 to +1.5 | +1.5 to +2.0 | > +2.0 |
| Percent | 2.3% | 4.4% | 9.2% | 15.0% | 19.2% | 19.2% | 15.0% | 9.2% | 4.4% | 2.3% |
| Sten | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
Sten scores (for the entire population of results) have a mean of 5.5 and a standard deviation of 2.
Read more about this topic: Sten Scores
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